NIA may include Andhra train derailment in ongoing probe

With Railway suspecting sabotage in derailment of Hirakhand Express in Andhra Pradesh, the Home Ministry may ask the NIA to include the incident in its ongoing probe into possible role of Pakistan spy agency ISI in Indore-Patna Express mishap last year.

"The Home Ministry may ask the NIA to see if the derailment in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday was a subversive act. The NIA can expand the scope of their ongoing probe," official sources said on Sunday. The National Investigation Agency is looking into the claims of three arrested persons that the derailment of Indore-Patna express on November 20, 2016 in which at least 150 people were killed, was carried out at the behest of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

The trio -- Moti Paswan, Uma Shankar and Mukesh Yadav -- were arrested last week from East Champaran district of Bihar.

They had claimed to have got Rs 3 lakh to plant improvised explosive devices (IEDs) at Ghorasahan railway station under the district on October 1 last year. Bihar Police has reportedly recovered the IEDs.

A team of NIA officials has already gone to Bihar to probe the accused and verify their claim.

The three arrested persons have reportedly "confessed" about the ISI's possible role in the last year's derailment.

They also claimed to be working for the ISI, the sources said. At least 39 people lost their lives due to the derailment of Hirakhand Express at Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh on Saturday night. Railway spokesperson Anil Saxena said there are indications of foul play as a goods train passed the same track just two hours before the mishap, which occurred in the Naxal-prone zone just ahead of the Republic Day.

However, Odisha Police ruled out involvement of Naxals in the mishap. Odisha DGP K B Singh said "there is no indication of Maoist hand behind the derailment"